Blackened Hillside
by Americanaooni
Summary: "What we bear is important... And we will return again with redemption in our souls..." A lonely mansion atop a dark hill has not been heard of for centuries, that is, until the famous businessman Erwin Smith, along with many others, was invited to a 'charitable' event in which the Master of the mansion is the host. What is that feeling in the air...? Rated T- Language, blood
1. Prologue

The dark room was only illuminated by the gentle glow of a candle set atop a desk, and the silence was broken by the sound of a quill scratching away at paper. The door creaked open slowly, making a low creaking sound as it did. Yet the one writing at the desk paid no heed to whoever was entering.

A figure stepped in, tall and thin, and approached the desk without a word. The scratching sound stopped, and the hand that held the quill moved to set it down. The hand moved again to lift the candle holder, the light now showing both of their faces. A pair of bright blue eyes looked back at the one that sat at the desk, making the corners of their mouth twitch slightly in amusement.

"You've always had such beautiful eyes my dear…" The one sitting murmured in a deep yet sonorous voice. The other produced a small giggle in response before letting out a small sigh through parted lips. "And you have always been so charming, haven't you? But you know we don't have time for flirting at the moment, do you Alec, my dear~?"

Alec chuckled and shook his head, "You are… Correct, Serene… Very much correct… But, however…. I have found our next guests.. That does deserve a bit of time now does it sweetheart~?" He asked as he stood slowly and picked up the paper he had been writing on.

Serene's eyes widened in what seemed to be possible joy and pride, quickly walking over to stand beside the other. "You _have_ made process! Wonderful! Who is our main guest this time my dear?" She asked excitedly, glancing at the paper and back at Alec. Alec pushed up the black glasses that were perched on his nose, a small smile playing on his lips. "You have heard of Erwin Smith correct?"

That name seemed to have also gotten a reaction out of the woman. "Erwin Smith…? You don't mean _the _Erwin Smith do you…? That man is the head of many corporations… How do you even think he would find such time to come to our little mansion?"

The man actually grinned this time, leaning down slightly to plant a kiss on Serene's cheek. "We must only hope… But of course I am sure we can come to terms, me being quite the businessman myself. Though he may bring that thug along with him… Levi Rivaille was it..?"

"I heard he is a terrifying man… But that would only increase the enjoyment wouldn't it? A big businessman… A thug….. And oh, who else…? You _did_ manage to get the orphanage at the edge of town to let the children participate in our little… Event. Did you?" Serene wondered as she moved away from Alec, her movements graceful like a dancer performing on stage.

Alec didn't reply at first, sitting down and placing the paper back on the desk in front of him. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat and spoke with glee. "But of course! We do wish to seem charitable now don't we? Plus, they're attendance will just make this event all the more exciting! They will be present my dear… I promise you that."

A grin then appeared on the woman's face as she faced him, arms crossed. "We only have a few days until our special day, and you plan on hosting this event tomorrow night? That would be just the right amount of time… Just perfect…" She said with a laugh following soon after.

Alec stood once again and walked around the desk, wrapping his arms around the other's waist once he got to her. "I know… I know… It will be marvelous, It will be. We will get back again Serene… Just wait and we will… Patience... Patience…"


	2. Chapter 1- The Arrival Part 1

**Hello and here's the first Chapter of the series! I might not ever finish it but enjoy it while I still have the motivation! I got a bit lazy on this chapter but I did my best. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Levi Rivaille never did enjoy parties, or basically any event that had a large amount of people. Honestly he didn't even want to _attend_ whatever they were going to, but Erwin insisted they go… The short man let a sigh escape from him as he gazed out of the window of the carriage, ignoring the chatter from the others that were with him.

"We should be arriving soon I believe." Erwin Smith, a tall, blonde man who sat beside him said with a few glances at Levi, as if expecting a reaction. Levi only grunted in reply, not looking away from the window. Someone else sat on the other side of Erwin, shaking their head with a soft sigh. "I didn't expect Levi to be very excited about this…" He claimed as he crossed his arms. Erwin chuckled in reply, "Every event may be different Gunter… Levi may change his perspective on this one."

A woman with strawberry blonde hair frowned, looking at Gunter who sat across from her and then at Erwin. "That's what you said last time… I doubt he will anytime soon..." She said with a groan, lowering her gaze. The man who sat next to her, a man with blonde hair and a bit of a stubble, nodded in agreement. "Petra's got a point… But we don't actually know what the outcome of this event will be…"

"Yeah, but judging by Levi's attitude right now…. Who knows what could happen eh? The outcome might as well be horrific like all of the other times, Erd…" The person who sat in front of Levi mumbled, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. Levi rolled his eyes a bit and turned his attention to the others. "Did you forget that I'm right here? You make it sound like I'm some little child throwing a tantrum. You aren't implying that, aren't you Auruo?" He said icily, squinting at the man who sat across from him. Auruo, as well as the others besides Erwin, went completely silent as tension filled the carriage.

The ride to the mansion was silent for several hours, only the sound of hooves hitting the dirt road and the wheels turning rapidly prevented it from being all too quiet. Eventually, the one to speak again was Levi, who was looking out the window once more. "This mansion is far… On a hill surrounded by large trees you said?" He asked Erwin without turning to look at him. Erwin managed a soft smile, now looking at the short man. "That is what I was told…. I am sure the mansion is far due to privacy reasons. But it might get lonely every now and then… It is possible that hosting such an event will be doing them some good."

Levi only grunted again in response, though his eyebrows were furrowed slightly. That sounded like valid reason, but something was bothering him. Something was just not right about all this… But after a moment, Levi pushed those thoughts away as he noticed the carriage pull to a stop. The doors were opened, and one by one, everyone stepped out. A tall man with dark brown hair greeted them, possibly the mansion's butler. "Right this way…" He said kindly with a polite bow before escorting the six people into the mansion without another word.

Immediately upon entering the mansion, the feeling of uncertainty returned. The main hall was very clean, which Levi appreciated really but something about this place made him feel unusually uneasy. He took a glance around, still showing no emotion despite what he was feeling at the moment before following the others into the large dining room. He could hear the others gasping and staring in awe at the room. The table was long with a dark blue table cloth covering it. Many long candles were set on top, as well as several empty plates. Set aside each plate were sets of fine silverware and neatly folded napkins.

It was all impressive, Levi admitted to himself, but it still didn't push away that feeling. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts back when he noticed the Master of the mansion had approached them, arms wide and eyes welcoming. "Ah, Erwin Smith! It is an honor that you could make it!" He said in a sort of silky, almost hypnotizing voice. The Master wore what looked like a long white and gold coat and a black vest atop a pale purple dress shirt, and his long white hair was tied up in a ponytail. Alec Arsworth… The man looked strange, but it wasn't an important matter.

Erwin smiled politely and shook Alec's hand. "It was an honor to be invited Mr. Arsworth! What event is going to be taken place here?" He asked and moved his hands behind his back. Alec shook his head with a grin, wagging his finger at Levi's boss. "I'm afraid that's a surprise Mr. Smith! You'll just have to wait and see!" He said before both men exchanged nods and the Master walked away to speak with the butler.

Petra looked down at her dark red dress with a sigh, then back up at the others around her. Something about this place was giving her the chills, and she didn't like it. Though, part of her assumed she was cold… Why couldn't Hanji make it anyways? The woman turned to the other three who stood beside her, then looked back to where Levi was standing. They were told the event was going to be a long one, and she didn't really feel too fond of the idea of being at an important event for such a long time. She was worried she was going to mess up somehow… Being a bit of a klutz. Petra sighed, telling herself to at least try to enjoy the party. It was important to Erwin anyways…. And maybe even to Levi.

There was an odd aura in the air that was sending shivers down Gunter's spine, and he glanced at the others momentarily, wondering if they could feel it as well. It was hard to tell, so the man decided it was not all that important. Maybe it was because of the importance of the event that was causing such a strange feeling? Was he nervous that someone was going to mess this up and have to face Levi soon after? Was he nervous for Erwin and Levi? Gunter sighed and decided not to think much of it. It was better just to enjoy the night while it lasted instead of worrying over something like that.

Standing beside him, Erd didn't glance around but kept his gaze on the table close by. It was pretty damn large… How many people were going to attend anyways? Judging by how many plates and silverware were set about, probably a lot. It made him wonder when the alcohol was going to be served, and a little part of him hoped it was soon. The men practically wore the same thing, white dress shirt while everything else was black, along with a black tie. Though Erwin wore a nice long black trench coat, and Levi wore his usual white cravat instead of a black tie. Speaking of cravats, Erd turned his head to where Auruo stood. Of course, Auruo was wearing also wearing a cravat similar to Levi's, which didn't surprise him a bit. He didn't know what started it, but Auruo has started copying the shorter man for some strange reason and it got a bit irritating after a while. Erd shook his head and looked back to the table, still curious about that alcohol. Though he could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise, feeling as though something was watching him from the shadows, but the man could only just ignore the feeling to the best of his ability.

Parties could be pretty boring… Or at least that is what Auruo was saying to himself. Almost everyone around him was having some sort of conversation, and it pleased him a bit to know that Levi may be too busy to be able to talk with Petra at all. A smirk formed on the man's face, but he still didn't say or do anything. He only stood silently as he and the others waited for Levi and Erwin to tell them what to do next. Though he guessed that they were on their own, you can never be too sure. Auruo then couldn't help but notice the odd silence that was coming from the other three, and turned his head slightly to look at them. He had to crane his neck to see what Petra was up to, her being the tiniest out of all of them and standing on the other side of Gunter and Erd. All of them were completely quiet, and Auruo opened his mouth to ask what the hell was wrong with them before he quickly shut it again. There was a strange feeling now… A feeling that made him almost visibly shiver. Could this feeling be the one making the rest of them go quiet? Whatever it was, Auruo did not speak after all, but silently stare ahead like the rest of them did.

Erwin noticed the other four when he glanced over, silently standing there with rather blank looks on their faces. He raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled before turning back to Levi. "I think they are waiting for you… You might have to tell them that they can move around if they wish." He explained to the other, who kept his usual bored expression before turning and walking away. At that moment, a light ding noise was heard a few times and Erwin looked back at the table. Alec held up a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other, possibly using those to draw everyone's attention. "The event will start in just a moment here! We have also invited the Shiganshina Orphanage and they have not yet arrived. Part of this is a charitable event! A discussion will be held about what to do with them sometime after the main event has taken place!" He said in a loud, enthusiastic voice. Erwin crossed his arms, nodding slightly as he listened to the announcement being made. "They should arrive shortly! Once they are present we will begin!" And as the Master said that, everyone clapped and nodded, muttering things among themselves. Though Erwin frowned slightly, getting a feeling as if someone was watching him, causing him to turn his head. There was nothing, of course, though for a moment… Just a quick moment… He thought he saw a pair of gleaming eyes coming from one of the doors leading to the kitchens of the Mansion…


	3. Chapter 2- The Arrival Part 2

** And here's Chapter 2 for you all! I don't want to rush into things right away, so that's why it's a pretty slow start... Just wait until Chapter 4 (That's where it really gets started.) **

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The ride was a bit bumpy, but honestly, Eren didn't really care. Several carriages held many kids, all being taken to the big event happening at some mansion. Eren Jaeger, a kid with a determined face and messy brown hair, huffed in annoyance. Yeah, the ride was long, but he also had to sit in the same carriage as his rival, Jean. He crossed his arms and looked to Mikasa, who was pushing some strands of her black hair behind her ear quietly. "Hey, Mikasa…. Why do we have to go to this anyways..?" Eren asked her, eyebrows furrowed in irritation. Mikasa glanced at Eren and just said, "I don't know," Before turning back to look down at her hands, eventually moving one to pull up the red scarf that was wrapped around her neck. Eren grumbled in response and craned his neck to look at the kid sitting beside the girl, a kid with blonde hair that pretty much reached his chin. "What about you Armin? Do you know?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow expectantly. Armin blinked a few times and shook his head. "I'm not so sure either… Maybe they'll help us find homes?" He suggested before shrugging.

Across from Eren, a boy with short dark brown hair and freckles named Marco spoke up. "It's still nice that we get to go right? I've never seen a mansion before actually…" Marco admitted with a small smile, turning to Jean, who sat next to him. "I'm actually pretty excited!" He added and chuckled softly afterwards. Jean also chuckled, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Not sure what the deal about all of this, I heard this mansion is pretty damn big. And it's on a big ass hill too." Jean said to him with a smirk, hoping he was able to push Eren down said hill. It would be funny to see the little suicidal bastard rolling down that hill and hitting a tree. Marco beamed at him and nodded quickly before turning to look out of the window. "Ah… And there's a full moon out! It looks amazing! Look Jean!"

Marco was right, the moon did look amazing. And pretty big too, which gave Eren the creeps for some strange reason, almost as if the moon would fall and crush everyone beneath it. He turned and smirked over at Jean, who was practically crushing Marco as he tried to look out of the window to see the moon as well. "J-Jean!" Marco exclaimed, squirming a bit. "Well you told me to look didn't ya? I can almost see it!" Jean answered, squinting and tilting his head. Beside Jean sat Sasha, who looked a little upset that she had to join them instead of being in the same carriage as her friend Connie. She giggled at the two beside her however, taking a break from imagining all of the food that could be at the event they were headed to.

In another carriage, a kid with a shaved head hung his head and arms out of the window with a groan. The people he was with were cool, but Connie would rather have Sasha here instead of Ymir, a tall brown haired girl with a bad attitude with everyone except for Christa. In front of Connie was Reiner, who was looking at the tall kid beside him, Bertholdt. Bert was sweating nervously as he almost always did, but Reiner didn't blame him. They were orphans being invited to a huge party in a mansion after all, and also Bert _was_ sitting next to Annie. Annie had a bored look on her face, and it was surprising when Reiner discovered that Bertholdt had a thing for her. Christa, who sat next to Connie, brushed a few strands of hair from her face with a small smile, while Ymir had an arm around her as always. No one said anything, which was fine but a little awkward too…

Connie groaned, breaking the silence and causing Reiner and Bertholdt to glance at him. Reiner grinned at the other, an eyebrow arched. "What's up with you Connie? You upset because you got stuck in a carriage with Ymir and not Sasha?" He asked with a small chuckle. Connie didn't look up, just sighed and kept quiet. The quiet earned a smirk from Ymir, who just hugged Christa closer. "Cat got your tongue Connie?" She sneered, making the short blonde girl she was hugging frown in disapproval. "Ymir! P-Please be nice…" She asked with innocent eyes looking up at her. Ymir's smirk vanished and she turned her attention to the window, damn she could not say no to those eyes….

Everyone looked up and around when they noticed the carriage had come to a complete halt, making Connie sigh in relief. At least he was getting out of this stuffy carriage. Though it was thrilling at first to be riding in something fancier than an old wagon, he lost interest after a few hours. They were let out, Connie beaming when he saw Sasha running over to him with a huge grin on her face. Bertholdt's eyes widened at the sight of the mansion, having never seen such a sigh before. The house was _enormous_. Bert could hear many gasps around him as the others saw the house as well, grins appearing on almost everyone's faces. Even Annie looked amazed at the sight before them.

Everyone was led inside, and at this point, Marco practically clung to his friend out of sheer excitement. "Look at this place Jean! I-It's amazing!" He said with a wide grin. Jean looked at Marco with a smirk and then looked around him. "Calm your freckles down Marco, they might fall off!" He joked, though he too was amazed at interior of the mansion. Hell, it was more than amazing… If only they could find a word to accurately describe it.

A voice caused them to all look up and move more towards the large dining room, excitement coursing through the orphaned children at the sight of the Master at the head of the table, arms held out. "Everyone! Our other guests have arrived! Please wait patiently; the event will begin very soon! As of now, you may want to mingle amongst yourselves while you wait!" He shouted before moving away from the table, disappearing behind a door.


	4. Chapter 3- Mingle and Start

"Tsk…. Well the host is a little slow isn't he?" Levi grumbled impatiently, the idea of 'mingling' with the people around him not sounding to pleasant to him. To some, his expression might have made them think he thought it was more revolting than unpleasant. Erwin glanced at the shorter man with eyebrows furrowed, though did not say a single word. Levi stood still for a bit longer before scowling, "Well fuck it, there at least better be alcohol later." He muttered and walked away from his boss, who was still standing there silently, but managed to smile a bit in amusement. The smile was gone as quickly as it appeared however. Levi guessed all kinds of people would be coming up to Erwin to either talk about some business shit or try to kiss his ass to get something good out of it. Either one, he didn't want to stick around much longer. He looked at the large dining room table with an eyebrow raised, now seeing several white cards placed at each seat with a name written in fancy cursive. After a moment of pacing around the rectangle table, he sat down in a seat that had a card with his name written on it. There was no alcohol still, which upset Levi a little, but he had to just hope this damn event started soon.

The four of them eventually split up to meet the other guests, though neither of them really knew where to begin. Petra took a deep breath, though thought it was a great time to try and find Levi. She guessed he wasn't having such a great time right now, because truthfully, she wasn't enjoying this that much either. Petra looked around, keeping an eye out for the black haired man and though could not seem to find him right away. In the meantime, many of the kids that attended were standing and staring in awe at the great mansion, looking for food, or shyly trying to get to know the other guests. Jean got bored pretty easily and sat down in his spot at the table, chin resting in one of his hands while the other poked at the name card idly. Marco was standing close by, having started a conversation with his other friend Armin.

Strangely enough, that feeling was still in the air. Not for long though, as everyone became too occupied to notice it much anymore. Though the ones that were doing nothing could still feel it, making them shiver slightly, yet they still did their best to ignore it. It could have been nothing, maybe all in their heads. Possibly anticipation or maybe it was just a little chilly out. There were many excuses formed in the minds of the guests, but neither one had any real proof to prove what it actually was. It made them a bit uneasy. But it was something that everyone just pushed aside, because to them, it wasn't all that important right now. Right now, first impressions are what counted. The children couldn't even believe they were among the rich, them being orphans and having no money themselves. Armin was almost a little confused on to why they of all people were invited. But he just decided not to think much of it, because it was a charitable event after all, and he thought it would be best to not complain.

There was still much chatter, even from those who took their seats. It went on for about an hour before they could yet again hear the sound of a spoon hitting the side of a glass gently, though it was loud enough to capture everyone's attention. "Everyone! Please take your seats as we are about to begin! And we would recommend you refrain from speaking at the time of the speech, for it is only good manners." One of the butlers announced before moving to stand beside the large chair at the end of the table, which must have been obviously saved for the Master. Speaking of which, once everyone took their respective seats, the Master reappeared from the door he went behind a while ago and eventually took his own seat. There was silence before he stood again and spoke rather loudly.

"I thank you all for being able to attend this small event, and for coming all the way out here to this lonely mansion of mine. Now this event will be started and discussed in the meantime, but to get things started…." The Master nodded as drinks were served to the guests, alcohol for the adults and water for the younger ones. Levi could guess it was a sort of champagne, but hell, alcohol was alcohol and he didn't care what he was given at the moment. The Master raised his glass, everyone else slowly but surely doing the same with theirs. "To the magnificent minds that not only pieced this together, but also to the ones that attended and have already given so much. We are so very honored that you are here." He declared before taking a sip from his own drink. There were a few murmurs in reply, but eventually everyone else did the same as the Master did.

After a few long minutes of silence, almost everyone noticed that an odd feeling entered the room. Some remember it from before…. That was when Levi felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, right at the base of his skull. It hurt like _hell, _though a part of him just guessed it was dehydration. That is, until he saw a pained look on Erwin's face. He glanced around a few times, seeing several others wincing and groaning in pain. _'Wait… What the hell…?' _Levi thought in surprise, feeling the world beginning to spin around him. Shit… He was drugged wasn't he…? _They_ were drugged…. He could see a kid who looked a little bit like a horse stand shakily, swaying slightly as his body prepared to shut down. "W-What… W-What did you do to us..!?" The kid shouted to the best of his ability. The Master just smiled kindly at him and took a moment to reply. "As I have said, this is a _charitable_ event… And what could be more charitable than giving us your very souls for a greater cause?" He then stood on top of his chair, extending his arms out to his drugged guests. "The event has begun my friends! This is it! The grand moment! Close your eyes… Close your eyes and await what will come to you! Embrace it closely and accept it into your heart!" He exclaimed, though to Levi, the Master's voice quickly grew darker… Or was that just the drug talking? He wasn't going down because of this… No way in hell. Levi stood, blinking several times as he tried to fight the urge to pass out. Around him, many heads met the table, and some even fell out of their chairs. The drug was _powerful_ as far as Levi could tell. Black spots appeared in his vision, and his knees buckled from underneath him, causing him to fall to the ground. "It will happen…. This will be one fantastic night…" Levi heard the Master say before everything went black.

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**Remember when I said things will really start at Chapter 4? I kinda lied at that part. Sorry for the long update here, school and Pokemon X have taken up most of my time lately. Chapter 4 should come up soon because I am on a role today! And Oooooh, spooky... What will happen next? The plot thickens!**


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